Game of Thrones season 7 premiere “Dragonstone” shatters record

The numbers are in, and the Game of Thrones season 7 premiere has thoroughly smashed the record for viewers.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Game of Thrones season 7, episode 1, “Dragonstone,” has not only broken previous records set for viewings but has done so by a robust margin. Since Sunday evening, Thrones fans have watched and rewatched the season 7 premiere, across all platforms, to the sum of 16.1 million viewers.

According to EW, that number represents a 50% increase from the season 6 premiere, “The Red Woman.” The overnight numbers from Neilson had the episode at 10.1 million viewers, but after counting DVR and live stream numbers from the many HBO platforms, we can see where the 16.1 comes in.

Many experts worried the late start for season 7 would negatively impact the show’s numbers, as a mid-July premiere, during summer vacation, is the latest HBO has ever pushed a Game of Thrones premiere.

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Getting back to the overnight — or live — numbers, TV By The Numbers notes the previous record was set by the season 6 finale, “The Winds of Winter.”

"That’s the most ever for the series, beating the 8.89 million for the Season 6 finale last year by a nearly 14-percent margin. It also set a series high in adults 18-49 at 4.7."

“Dragonstone” hit the ground running, with an amazing cold-open that set the pace for a blazing, break-neck speed episode. With episode two once again promising another Daenerys-centric episode — with the title “Stormborn” — don’t expect the show to slow down for the usual setup seen in previous seasons.

Next: Best live streams to watch TV shows

Game of Thrones season 7, episode 2, “Stormborn,” airs on Sunday night at 8 PM CT, on HBO.